


Separation

by AXEe



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, Gen, One Shot, Spoilers for Episode: s12e01-02 Spyfall, bitter Rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22085824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: So, I just saw part one of the new season premiere, "Spyfall", and the whole scene with The Doctor going off to find an 'old friend' to help made me wonder, what if this old friend was someone else we all know...?So, I give you this, spoilers abound dear reader, so enjoy at your own risk :=)
Relationships: The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler, Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 26
Kudos: 71





	Separation

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just saw part one of the new season premiere, "Spyfall", and the whole scene with The Doctor going off to find an 'old friend' to help made me wonder, what if this old friend was someone else we all know...? 
> 
> So, I give you this, spoilers abound dear reader, so enjoy at your own risk :=)

******

Graham grunted as the TARDIS landed with a hard lurch. Straightening up, he was about to ask more questions about The Doctor’s mysterious ‘friend’ but she was already gone, having charged out the door the second they’d landed it seemed.

Following her, Graham squinted in the early-morning Australian sun. He’d never been to Australia, but it looked pretty much the same way it did on nature documentaries; dusty, warm, with nothing as far as the eye could see except for rocks, scraggly shrubs, and a ramshackle one-story house a few feet away.

Absently shutting the TARDIS door behind him, Graham walked up to where The Doctor was standing just outside the simple fence.

“So, this is where your friend lives, eh?” he asked.

“Yeah” The Doctor answered, and looking at her, Graham was suddenly struck by how tense she seemed, the familiar manic, excited energy was gone replaced by a body-wide stiffness, she reminded him of a startled animal, waiting for whatever possible threat that had frightened it to begin with to come out of the shadows as she continued to stare at the small house.

Slowly, the weathered screen door creaked out, a figure calmly stepping out onto the porch to lean against one of the support pillars to stare at them in kind, before pushing off the porch and slowly making their way towards them.

The woman now walking towards them looked to be about thirtyish, with dark blonde hair. She walked with a noticeable limp, dragging her left leg behind her in what was no doubt an uncomfortable movement. Coming to a stop just on the inside of the fence, she assessed them both, her expression blank, made only more so by the eyepatch she wore over her left eye and as she slowly crossed her arms Graham could see that she was missing the last two fingers on her left hand.

For a long moment, no one said anything, then, The Doctor took a slow, wide step past the fence, stepping up to the woman. They were about equal in height, in fact seeing them both together; Graham was startled to realize that they looked an awful lot alike.

“You’re late” the mysterious woman suddenly said, her accent was vague but Graham thought he detected the hint of a Londoner in there.

“I know,” The Doctor nodded, her voice sounded regretful and Graham decided that they weren’t talking about this current crisis “I’m sorry, Rose” The Doctor apologized.

The mysterious woman now identified as Rose let out a long, deep sigh.

“C’mon” she said, turning and slowly making her way back to the house…

******

Inside the small, single-room house Graham was surprised by the sheer number of books, magazines, and newspaper articles adorning the walls, many of which seemed to detail strange happenings across the globe, but the most striking thing was the large conglomeration of electronics piled in one corner. A cluster of computer monitors and wires and cables all snaking together around what looked like a piece of the amber crystal that made up the interior of TARDIS which stretched from floor to ceiling, and Graham suddenly had the impression that the rest of the house had been built around it rather that the mysterious setup being installed later on.

“I wouldn’t touch that,”

Graham jerked back as the mysterious Rose approached him. She smirked, nodding up at the mass of electronics.

“You’re liable to turn yourself inside out” she continued.

“Oh,” Graham stepped back from the odd structure “wouldn’t want that” he chuckled.

Rose returned his smile, but it was a dark grim smile.

“No,” she agreed slowly “trust me, it’s not fun,” she continued, holding up her hand with the missing fingers “you’ve been traveling with The Doctor long?” she asked as she held out a chipped mug to him.

“About a year” he nodded as he took the mug and took a sip of the cool iced tea.

“Hmm,” Rose nodded “first year’s always the hardest,” she declared “if you can survive that, then you’re good”

“You used to travel with her?” Graham asked as she led him over to a small table.

“A long time ago,” she nodded “then…well, let’s just say that we got separated for a while before I found my way back”

“Well can’t you go back?” Graham wondered.

She looked up at him sharply.

“No,” she answered “not anymore”

“Got it!” The Doctor suddenly cried and all further questions were set aside for the time being…

******

By nightfall they still had no further information on the mysterious attacks, or on the creature who had tried to break into the TARDIS. Stretching out his sore neck, Graham stepped out into the cooler night air to find The Doctor leaning against the fence staring out into the vast expanse of the outback. Coming up to join her, Graham matched her pose.

“Go on,” she suddenly sighed “ask away, I know you want to”

“How come Rose doesn’t travel with you anymore?” he asked “I mean, it looks to me like she wants to”

“I know,” The Doctor nodded “and I want her to,” she continued “but…she can’t,” she shook her head “you saw all those computers and stuff inside?” Graham nodded “they’re part of a…life-support system I guess you’d call it, keeps Rose’s form stable, but only within a certain radius. She steps outside this property, past this fence even, and she dies” she explained.

“How’s that work?” Graham wondered.

Sighing as she turned around, leaning back against the fence.

“Imagine for a second that there are parallel worlds out there, different dimensions, alternate universes, on one world maybe the U.S. never rebelled against the Crown, and maybe in another universe maybe dogs can talk, and maybe in another universe, people who have died here didn’t,” she took a breath “now imagine that you’ve become trapped in one of these universes, but you eventually find your way back to your own universe. Only problem is, your body’s gotten accustom to that other universe, like a deep sea diver, so when you come back home your body reacts like that diver’s would if he just shot to the surface”

“The bends” Graham nodded.

“ _Super_ -bends,” The Doctor corrected “and on a molecular level, every atom and molecular in your body is now _screaming_ out as they’re slowly being torn apart. To make matters worse, the trip is one way, you can’t just hop on back to the other universe, you’re stuck here, doomed to die”

“God” Graham exclaimed.

The Doctor nodded.

“She was lucky. I found her just in time, but not before…,” she gestured vaguely to her left eye “anyway, I found a way to stabilize her but it doesn’t work with the TARDIS’ system,” she explained “I can’t just build a portable version for her to carry around, even though the very technology that’s keeping her alive is from the TARDIS itself, its incompatible with the TARDIS”

Graham turned to look back towards the house.

“Poor kid” he muttered,

“Yeah,” The Doctor agreed “my fault”

******

The floorboard behind her creaked, causing Rose to look up.

“Hi” The Doctor greeted softly, fidgeting in place.

“Hi” Rose nodded.

“Room for one more?” The Doctor asked, gesturing towards the bath that Rose had just drawn.

Rose smirked.

“Always”

Quickly stripping down her birthday suit, The Doctor climbed into the narrow tub with Rose.

“I’m sorry” she murmured into Rose’s hair.

“It’s all right” Rose soothed.

“No, it’s not,” The Doctor shook her head “you can’t even leave this house, Rose, you’re trapped here”

“Yes,” Rose agreed “but I can still help,” she reminded the Time Lord. She shifted, turning around to face The Doctor “we’re still together, eh?”

“Yeah,” The Doctor agreed “but…”

“I know,” Rose soothed “I know”

“I’m still working on a way to get you into the TARDIS,” The Doctor said “you know that, right?”

“I know,” Rose nodded. She leaned back into The Doctor’s arms “good see that you’re still traveling with others” she remarked suddenly.

“Is it?”

“Yeah,” Rose nodded “Graham says you call them ‘the fam’?”

“Yeah. Only fair, ‘cause…they sorta are” The Doctor shrugged.

Snuggling up to The Doctor, Rose shushed her with a gentle kiss. Their time together now was limited, but the still had each other, no matter what…

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
